Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Currently serving as the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udhayanidhi will also take on the additional portfolio of Planning and Development as part of a significant cabinet reshuffle within the state government.
The Chief Minister recommended to the Governor to allot the Planning and Development portfolio to Udhayanidhi. A release from Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan stated, “The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has recommended to the Governor of Tamil Nadu to allot the portfolio of Planning and Development to Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, in addition to his existing portfolios and be designated as Deputy Chief Minister.”
The Chief Minister has also proposed the induction of several new ministers into the Council of Ministers, including V. Senthilbalaji, Dr. Govi. Chezhiaan, R. Rajendran, and S. M. Nasar. The swearing-in ceremony for the newly designated ministers is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 29 September 2024, at 3:30 PM in Raj Bhavan, Chennai.
In a reshuffle, the Governor has approved the Chief Minister's recommendation to drop T. Mano Thangaraj, Minister for Milk and Dairy Development; Gingee K. S. Masthan, Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils Welfare; and K. Ramachandran, Minister for Tourism, from the Council of Ministers.
This reshuffle follows the recent release of V. Senthil Balaji from Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai, where he had been held since June 2023 following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs scam. The Supreme Court granted him bail on 26 September 2024.
AIADMK, BJP Slam Udhayanidhi's Elevation As Tamil Nadu Deputy CM
Reacting to Udhayanidhi's elevation, AIADMK leader Kovai Sathyan told news agency PTI, “The elevation of Prince Udhayanidhi as Deputy CM of Tamil Nadu marks the end of DMK in the 2026 Assembly elections. This clearly exposes how big a liar Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin is.”
Meanwhile, BJP's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla remarked, “Udhayanidhi Stalin will become Deputy CM, that means one more ‘son’ will rise in Tamil Nadu politics. First Karunanidhi, then Stalin and after him, Udhayanidhi. This is the case with the entire INDI alliance. There are only two pillars of INDI alliance, one is family and the other is corruption.”